Spire SR benefits from its investments in strengthening and expanding its operations, enabling it to meet the rising demand from an expanding customer base. It utilizes technology to smoothly run its operations to save costs and improve services.

However, this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company faces risks related to environmental laws.

Tailwinds Favoring SR
 

Spire has a capital investment plan of $7.4 billion over the next 10 years to strengthen its existing operations. SR expects this systematic investment to drive 7-8% rate base growth over the long term. The company has registered a consistent increase in the average number of gas utility customers over the past few years. Spire collaborated with ONE Future to make its operations sustainable.

Spire and CorEnergy Infrastructure Trust reached a $175 million deal in January 2024 to purchase the interstate natural gas pipeline, MoGas Pipeline, and the linked gas distribution system, Omega Pipeline. The agreement strengthens resilience and broadens Spire's presence in Missouri, which aligns with its current midstream businesses.

Headwinds for SR
 

The supply of natural gas to Spire Marketing's customers is dependent on the performance of its suppliers and the capacity of pipeline and storage operators to fulfill delivery obligations. Midstream also uses third-party pipelines and other facilities to provide distribution options to and from its operations. The company's financial performance may suffer if there is any disruption in the suppliers' performance.

Spire's activities are governed by numerous environmental laws and rules. Complying with the same increases operating costs, while failing to do so may result in the loss of necessary permits and licenses, as well as fines, penalties or company interruptions. The company's profitability may be significantly impacted by these charges.

SR Stock Price Movement
 

In the past six months, SR shares have rallied 15.9% compared with the industry’s growth of 14.1%.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Stocks to Consider
 

Some better-ranked stocks from the same sector are Atmos Energy Corp. ATO, IDACORP, Inc IDA and NiSource Inc. NI, each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Atmos Energy’s long-term (three to five years) earnings growth rate is 7%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ATO’s fiscal 2025 EPS indicates an increase of 5% from the previous year’s reported number.

IDACORP’s long-term earnings growth rate is 8.3%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for IDA’s 2024 EPS calls for an improvement of 5.5% from the previous year’s reported number.

NiSource’s long-term earnings growth rate is 7.5%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for NI’s 2024 EPS implies an improvement of 8.1% from the previous year’s reported number.

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